Think Wisconsin comes in second place here. I made a FutureCast for Ohio State.

VIDEO: https://wisconsin.rivals.com/news/week-2-chicago-blitz-2023-offensive-lineman-chris-terek

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STRENGTHS

At 6-foot-6 and 290 pounds, Chris Terek looks like a tackle on paper. But after getting a chance to see him in person on Saturday, it’s easy to see why Wisconsin projects the four-star prospect to play guard at the next level. Terek has a thick, powerful lower half, something that allows him to excel in the run game. That said, he’s also athletic enough to get out and move in space, which should allow Bob Bostad to use him as a pulling blocker for the Badgers.

“They just like how I can run block,” Terek said after the game. “I’m mean, nasty and I can move and bend.”

On Saturday against Marist High School, Terek lined up at multiple spots along the offensive line, but primarily worked at tackle - often on the right side. From that spot, I thought he got out of his stance well and into a balanced position in pass protection. On Glenbard West’s first touchdown, Terek is actually lined up at tight end and he sets the edge with a block at the second level that leads to a rushing score.

“Hard-nosed kid,” fellow Wisconsin commit Jamel Howard said. “He most definitely has violent hands. That’s something that we have in common.”

“He’s way too big,” Howard joked. “He shouldn’t be that big.”

Howard mentioned the violent hands, and Terek carries that physical mentality on the field. He has a wrestling background, and you see that in the bend and balance Terek brings at that size. He has the ability to be a true mauler on the inside, and I think Terek’s ceiling is as high as any current commit in the current cycle.

AREAS OF IMPROVEMENT

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Pad level and strength, which are things you can say for just about every lineman at the high school level. Terek reached for defenders a few times, but that’s something that can be hard to avoid when there’s such a difference in the size of the athlete he’s going up against. I also wanted to see him move into the second level more often, but that’s not anything that should be an issue at Wisconsin.

OUTLOOK/RECRUITMENT

Wisconsin locked Terek up this summer in one of the bigger wins for the coaching staff in this cycle. Iowa, Illinois and Michigan were also heavily involved in his recruitment, and the Hawkeyes were believed to be the front-runners going into official visits. Terek felt he connected most with the players at UW, and he has a personality that should match well with Bostad.

The Badgers are expected to graduate their top two guards - Tyler Beach and Michael Furtney - at the conclusion of the 2022 season. Next up on the current depth chart are Joe Brunner and Dylan Barrett, at left and right, respectively. But Tanor Bortolini and J.P. Benzschawel, among others, are also expected to be in the mix.

WISCONSIN COMPARISON ON THE CURRENT ROSTER

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Tyler Beach, who Rivals.com listed at 6-foot-6 and 280 pounds in high school, seems like a nice comparison on the current roster. Beach has a thick lower half and a frame to play tackle, if needed. The sixth-year senior seems to have found a fit at guard, the same spot Terek is expected to play when he arrives on campus.

Let me know what you think.

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Could see this kid being next in line for an offer.

The struggles of the current season would be easier to take (for me) if it felt like the program was building to something better. I do not have much optimism for that right now. In fact, it feels like it is headed towards more seasons like this. There does not seem to be any aspect of the program that is trending up.

Coaching: I assume JL will get the full time job. His defenses have mostly been excellent but this year's defensive struggles are on him, especially as a talent evaluator / recruiter. That alone is concerning. He may also need to re-make a large portion of the staff, which causes more disruption and rebuilding.

Defense: where are any young studs ready to become the next key players? DL I do not see any. LB was supposed to be loaded but nobody has flashed much, other than maybe Chaney. Wohler / Brown could be the guys at S but we don't know yet. At CB its supposed to be Hallman, we saw how that looked on Sat. You need a lot more than a couple guys who you think can be difference makers. There is a lack of speed and size across the board. JL's inability to land better DBs in particular is not a great sign.

Offense: I'm not sure Burkett is talented enough to be a big time QB. There's no other young QB options on the roster and they missed on so many recruits. Running back recruiting has been a problem too. UW needs stud RBs with speed to create explosive plays. I'm not sure Keyes or White are that guy. TEs are always injured and no next great TE is jumping out. WR there is some young talent, but Markus Allen leaving is another loss. OL poor play is the worst part. Seems quite possible Bostad will not be able to match what he did in his first stint as OL coach. Maybe defensive schemes and fronts have just gotten too good.

Recruiting: the last two classes have been very weak and will create more holes on the roster in the next few years. They finally have a recruiting staff in place, but who knows how long MT will want to stay in that position.

Transfer Portal: you can add guys for next year, but how effective is it for team building? Especially at a place like UW that needs to develop players in a system. And how much can you rely on it? Jay Shaw was a 2nd team all Pac-12 and Dort and Clark are experienced guys, but none have helped much.

Transfers Out: I'd expect more attrition, probably from some key young guys they do not want to lose. Guys will probably leave to get NIL deals elsewhere.

NIL: UW won't allow the Varsity Collective to use NIL for recruiting packages. This just sets UW more behind.

Scheduling: will only get harder. The end of the West Division and adding UCLA and USC means fewer games against opponents that UW nearly always beats on their way to 8-9 win seasons. UW will be just good enough to get matched up against the best teams in the B1G for TV.

You've got questions, @Clint Cosgrove has answers. Fire away

Surprised no one has commented. I'm really enjoying it. The guys on the team seam like good kids and they seem to like each other. I think it's pretty well done and what a good experience for them.

I’ve been waiting for this video because he’ll never get an easier sack 🤣

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If you did a double-take at the Jalen Suggs mention, he is close friends with Kaden Johnson.

PC really didn't do the program any favors the last few years, here are the areas that need improvement that he let slip and some the AD let slip...
Upgrading the offense, this includes, hiring a proper QB coach.
Identifying and recruiting better QB's, getting more competition for the position.
Utilizing NIL like other teams, which will help recruiting immensely.
Putting together a proper recruiting department, meaning more bodies.
Fire assistant coaches who aren't pulling their weight.
Better identifying TALENT. The team's great "culture" of family in finding kids who keep their noses clean but aren't competitive enough to play for B10 championships.
S&C seems really off, and it's not translating to the field.
PR for the program. There is very little enthusiasm for the football program right now.
Decision to ACTUALLY compete for championships, by not putting a hundred road blocks in the way that other teams don't.
Build the wall around Wisconsin on the recruiting front. The wall has been shattered and needs to be rebuilt. This is a huge problem if the state's top talent goes elsewhere.
Recruit over kids. This sounds harsh but is reality...UW keeps kids around far too long....look at Mertz and Wolf...

Let's discuss, I may not have gotten them all but it's a start.

Who’s worse this year? I say it’s a tie

Now that was a star studded football game. We are light years from playing at that level right now.